Rivalry games always bring a big crowd, intense energy, and they ultimately put the players’ pride on the line. Tuesday February 17, Fossil Ridge faced a strong and very talented Rocky Mountain (7-8) team, and after a hard fought game, Fossil (7-7) took the 73-65 win over the Lobos.

Coach Johanson knew it was going to be a close game, and with that said, he put his best players out on the paint for the tip off. Braxton Bertolette, Garrett Ripsam, Luke Lauby, Cam Dehart, and Colby Pipher took the court for Fossil, and squared up against Joe Elliot, Xavier Johnson, Tyler Hyland, Joe Urynowicz, and Noah Lovell for Rocky.

From the sound of the first whistle, the boys flew across the court. Point guards Bertolette and Elliot came out on fire. Bertolette racked up (33 pts) with his quality playmaking as well as individual skill.

Alex Price (6 pts) came into the game, and was very effective at slowing the game down and allowing the SaberCats to keep possession of the ball. After a few minutes of work, Price hit a three point shot along with 3 layups; a few great additional points for Fossil.

With the first quarter coming to a close, the SaberCats held a 14-13 lead. It was neck-in-neck, there was not by any means a “better team”. With the second quarter underway, the crowd got a little harsh, especially on Bertolette.

Price drained two more three point shots, and played strong defense against the Lobos. He along with Dehart (5 pts) and Pipher (5 pts) staked their place in their defensive zone, shutting down a majority of Lobo drives made by Johnson (13 pts), and Urynowicz (7 pts).

Both teams made their way to the locker room after a hard fought first half. The score sat in favor of the SaberCats 34-29, and there was almost too much energy buzzing in Fossil’s gym. The fans were getting a bit rowdy, and actually, three Rocky students were asked to leave after getting a bit too aggressive towards the Fossil players.

The second half was just as intense as the first. The score remained very close until halfway through the fourth quarter when the SaberCats began pulling away. When the clock ran itself down, Fossil had won the game.

Cam Dehart said, “A tremendous rush of adrenaline hit me, I was very proud of the team, we worked crazy hard the entire game, we never lacked energy and that showed. It’s nice having that sense of pride hit you when you beat a rival school.”

The boys won their game on Friday, January 20, against Horizon High School 59-49.